1983

Picture 1: Punkerdemo Hamburg 05.03.1983	Picture 2: Punkerdemo Hamburg 05.03.1983

Arranged by Easy Ettler - then owner of the infamous Graffiti Punk Club (wich had a short existence in Hamburg-Sasel from 1982 to 1983). Easy later went to fame and money with Ghotic&Grufti stuff  (you may know 'Zillo Magazine'). The Graffiti was troubled by the ever friendly police esp. after Hamburgs famed anit-police band SLIME played there. It was like a Black Flag show in the begining of the 80's in LA - putting Black Flag on the map was a "bet" for a police&punk riot after the show.  The same with Slime, playing hit's like "Polizei SA/SS". The demo put about 1.000 Punks on the streets of the city, protesting against the usual "Police Brutality" - and remember, that were the days when stuff like that went without a "black block" and without smashing windows. More pictures below:

Actualy the other real gem from 1983 is hidden here - Frankie from the Boikottz posing nude for the german edition of the Playboy. Warning - full frontal nudity!

Picture 3: The "Every Saturday Fanzine Gang" at Unterm Durchschnitt (Pohl (Spiel 77, later Gagu), Volli (Holy War Fanzine), Rudi K.(Funzine), Kay B. (later Schiffen Rekords), der Schlachter, Pizza (Funzine), Dirk (Holy War Fanzine))

"We used to play the german national anthem and allways the butcher accros the street came over and wanted to buy that record (being the only he liked between the nasty punk records). Stickel (Channel Rats) used to buy cheap meat there during his army term when his supply of cheap army meat ("Bundeswehrsülze") was gone. On this particular saturday he saw us taking a picture and came over to join us." (Rudi K.)

Almost every saturday fanzine makers & people from local bands meet at Unterm Durchschnitt in order to listen to new records and to catch some early beer.

Picture 4: Punks from Bergedorf at the Graffiti 1983, Show w/ Knallschoten, Napalm, Insane (UK) (?, Hoff, Appen, der lange Thomas,Richie)

There were great shows at the Graffiti, this - wich included local highlights as Napalm and Knallschoten as support for Insane (UK) - was a great one. There is still a tape of that show around - if you would like to have a copy please get intouch.

Picture 5 and 6: Die Knallschoten, Graffiti 1983 (Biber, Kajan, Rudi K.)

It is worth to note on this picture Rudi K.'s famous "german" pullover in black, red, gold (germany's national flag colours) - upside down as his grandma who crafted it for him said "but if you look down on it it is the right way...!" - it was some nice shocker for the kids, as all with the national colors was supposed to be "BAD".

Picture 7: Mondial, Stadtpark Hamburg, Summer 1983

Mondial came from Bergedorf/Lohbrügge and started as a punk band with 2 drummers (remember The Outcasts!) and shifted to a more pop sound in their later days. This  is a clip from a local daily about a "NDW" (Neue Deutsche Welle) Open Air Festival where they played also. They called it a day with a wave / Fischer-Z sound somewhere in the 80tees when the NDW hype faded away.

Picture 8: HH-Milch, live at a studio party, Hamburg ca. 1983 (Hardy, Pepe, Christian, Volli (back), Jörgi)

This was at the infamous practice place in HH-Billstedt were HH-Milch threw a party and 3 bands (HH-Milch, Knallschoten and some Platzangst incarnation playing Glam-Rock Hit's - as far as i remember). The place was ill-fated as once Timo (old guitar player for HH-Milch) made a birthday party there were some uninvited Skins appeared (supposed to be "invited" by good old Schwabe of Razors fame) and took - after a short fight - part of the beer supply with them. That's how the legend goes! HH-Milch and other bands did some recording there befor moving to the defunct Police station in HH-Billstedt (where also Missing the Scene started practicing - see 1986).

Picture 9-11: Grober Unfug at their rehearsal room, ca. 1983

Grober Unfug were one of the lone bands not bound to either "punk" or "hardcore" or "new wave" or "ndw" - they simply had fun and played what they liked - open to influence from all sides. They called it a day when NDW started to rise after an EP and an LP for Robert Nitz Konnekschen Label. Their farewell tour was with a small unknown band from Düsseldorf who did greet them as "Hamburger Bäuche" on their first LP. Any guess punk?

Picture 12: SS Ultrabrutal (Fotzer, Michelle,Old Erwin), ca. 1983

Real oldpunks in any sense, SS Ultrabrutal proved that Hamburg, and only Hamburg, is at the kernel of punk in Germany - another mighty band that did not get through due to the lazyness of people involved - and hey, that is totaly cool - they are just punks and they do not try to be stars!

"SS Ultrabrutal were notorious for their special kind of harsh Hamburgian humour, as the lyrics of the bands showed it. And they put out an album on Mansur Niknams Weird System label, and they were still together! In general a lot of Hamburg-based bands split up right after they put out their album (The Hamburgian disease ?). By the way, Weird System got in trouble with a few distributors (O-Ton: We don’t want to sell Nazi-Punk), because of the name of the band, no comment necessary once again." (Thomas Koch)

Picture 13: Promo Poster for Street Fighters LP (Holy War Records)		Picture 14: Promo Poster for Street Fighters LP (alternate Version)

This was the the first try of Holy War Records way back in 1983 - the obscure idea to release a record from the notorious Street Fighters (not to be confused with the gang of same name that was trying to rule the streets of Hamburg in the early 80ties). Besides the fact that all 1.000 LP's were sold is was a complete desaster as the band itself proved to be fools: both on the musical side (they never captured their live sound in the studio) and on the personal side. All members quickly left the punk scene to be never seen again!

Picture 15: Ticket for the first ever Black Flag show in Hamburg, Markthalle 14.02.1983

Picture 16: Ticket for the first ever Laibach show in Hamburg, Kir Poppenbüttel 27.11.1983

This was the the first coming of the Kir - located way out of town in Poppenbüttel and run by infamous Clemens Grün (aka "Der Schneemann"). Some great shows (and riots) happened there, including first Hamburg shows for Lords of the New Church, Die Ärzte, TV Personalities, Sisters of Mercy. When the place burned down it moved downtown until it was finaly shutdown in 2003.

Picture 17: Stauber (ex-Platzangst) at his flat in the Hafenstrasse Squat (long befor famous)

Picture 18: Stauber (ex-Platzangst) taking the obvious. Life stinks!

Picture 19: Kladdi, Heiko and Hake (later fame with Razors, Art of Tin Toys, Sheep on a Tree) (from left @ Heiko's home ca. 1983).

Picture Credits: (1) - (2) by Claus Bruckmann, (3) - (6) by unknown (supplied by Rudi K.), (7) - (11) from the Holy War Archive, (12) by unknown (supplied by Thomas Koch, (13) - (16) from the Holy War Archive, (17) and (18) by Stauber (supplied by Stauber), (19) by Frank Stelle - All pictures are (c) 2008 by The Holy War Archive Foundation and unagreed usage will result in unhealthy punishment by the Holy War Team.